Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Genesis 38:1-26 or Isaiah 40:21-31

Psalm 18:31-36, 43-50

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Matthew 12:1-21

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Temple prostitution, in the background in Genesis 38, might be background for 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 also. If it is, the reading becomes deeper than it is otherwise. If to engage in sexual relations with a pagan prostitute is to unite with the deity the prostitute serves, idolatry becomes an issue. Christians are supposed to function as part of the body of Christ, therefore visiting a pagan temple prostitute is worse than visiting a prostitute in general.

Speaking of Genesis 38, it is another of those different stories we find frequently in the Hebrew Bible. It remains a proverbial hot potato. When must a father-in-law sire his grandsons? When the laws governing levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) dictate. The text does not condemn Tamar for her deceit either, for the narrative makes plain that it was the option left open to her.

In June 1996 my father became the pastor of the Asbury United Methodist Church in northern Appling County, Georgia, U.S.A. One of the adult Sunday School classes was reading the Book of Genesis a chapter at a time. One week the teacher announced that the class would not discuss Chapter 38 (although they had apparently discussed Chapter 37 the previous week), but would talk about Chapter 39 instead. I wonder if the teacher also skipped the rape of Dinah and the subsequent bloodbath in Chapter 34. Probably, yes.

When passages of scripture make us that uncomfortable, we should study them. We should study all of the Bible, of course, but double down on the parts that cause us to squirm.

God is strong, mighty, loving, and trustworthy, we read. Sometimes mercy on some takes the form of judgment on others. After all, judgment on oppressors does help the oppressed, does it not?

Much occurs theologically in Matthew 12:1-21, but the major point is that mercy overrides Sabbath laws. We read that some labor was mandatory on the Sabbath, especially for priests. So yes, we read Jesus announce, the hungry may pluck grain and the man with the withered hand may receive healing, not just rudimentary first aid.

In the Gospel of Matthew one of the points drilled into the text was that Jesus did not seek to destroy the Law of Moses. No, he presented his interpretation as correct and in opposition to the interpretations of his critics. Jesus stood within the context of Judaism, not against it. For example, the Mishnah, published in 200 C.E. (about 170 years after the crucifixion of Jesus), listed 39 types of labor prohibited on the Sabbath. Plucking food was not one of them. Christ’s opponents in Chapter 12:1-21 were, to use an anachronistic expression, more Catholic than the Pope.

The Sabbath, in the Law of Moses, was about liberation. Slaves in Egypt received no days off, so a day off was a mark of freedom. Besides, science and experience have taught us the necessity of down time. Much of my Christian tradition has reacted against leisure (especially “worldly amusements,” a bane of Pietism and Puritanism) and insisted that idle hands are the Devil’s workshop. Nevertheless, science and experience have affirmed the necessity of a certain amount of idleness.

Judaism, at its best, is not legalistic; neither is Christianity. Yet legalistic Jews and Christians exist. A healthy attitude is to seek to respond to God faithfully, without becoming lost in the thicket of laws, without failing to see the forest for the trees, without mistaking culturally specific examples for timeless principles, without shooting cannon balls at gnats, and without forgetting mercy.

And while one is doing that, one should read the scriptural passages that make one squirm in one’s seat.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 30, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF CLARENCE JORDAN, SOUTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF RAVENNA AND DEFENDER OF ORTHODOXY

THE FEAST OF SAINT VICENTA CHÁVEZ OROZCO, FOUNDRESS OF THE SERVANTS OF THE HOLY TRINITY AND THE POOR

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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1 Kings 3:16-28

Psalm 119:49-56

1 Corinthians 14:6-19

John 7:19-24

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Do not judge by appearances,

but judge with right judgment.

–John 7:24, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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When I think of your ordinances from of old,

I take comfort, O LORD.

–Psalm 119:52, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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Sometimes exercising right judgment is easy. For example, the actual mother of a child will not want to see him killed and cut in half. At other times, however, the circumstances exist in the gray, vague area. There people might agree regarding goals yet differ as to proper tactics. May we, by grace, make proper decisions, choices consistent with right judgment.

A principle related to right judgment is the building up of the community, secular or religious. The gifts of the Spirit, for example, exist to glorify God and benefit the faith community in 1 Corinthians 14. They do not exist to draw attention to the recipients of those gifts. Human beings are inherently social, community-oriented creatures. We depend entirely on God and on each other. We are responsible to and for each other. We have no moral right to exploit one another. Our responsibilities fall into two categories–individual and collective. We cannot harm others without injuring ourselves or help others without benefiting ourselves.

These principles exist in the Law of Moses, present in many culturally specific examples. May we, by grace, apply these principles to our circumstances correctly.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 18, 2017 COMMON ERA

PROPER 6: THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF SAINTS DELPHINUS OF BORDEAUX, AMANDUS OF BORDEAUX, SEVERINUS OF BORDEAUX, VENERIUS OF MILAN, AND CHROMATIUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS

God is the only proper source of confidence, human philosophies and accomplishments are puny and transitory at best and deceptive at worst. They are also seductive. Consequences of giving into them in the assigned readings include exile, pestilence, famine, and destruction.

The readings from Matthew and Mark, despite their slight chronological discrepancy, are mostly consistent with each other. In the narrative they follow the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem immediately. We read that Jesus takes great offense to people profiting by converting Roman currency (technically idols, given the image of the Emperor, described as the “Son of God”) into money theologically suitable for purchasing sacrificial animals. He also curses and kills a fig tree for not bearing figs. We who read these accounts are supposed to ask ourselves if we are fruitful or fruitless fig trees. One will, after all, know a tree by its fruits.

Are we the kind of people who would have followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha or are we the variety of people who would have plotted or ordered his execution or at least denied knowing him or would have shouted “Crucify him!”?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 17, 2016 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF ADVENT

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, ABOLITIONIST AND FEMINIST; AND MARIA STEWART, ABOLITIONIST, FEMINIST, AND EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF EGLANTYNE JEBB AND DOROTHY BUXTON, FOUNDERS OF SAVE THE CHILDREN

I have read and written of martyrs, such as St. James Intercisus (died circa 421), whose lives contradicted those verses. Reality has proven much of the Book of Psalms to be naively optimistic.

The theme of this post comes from Romans and 1 Thessalonians. I begin with Romans 13:12b-13a:

Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day….

—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

I continue with 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11:

God destined us not for his retribution, but to win salvation through our lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, awake or asleep, we should still be united to him. So give encouragement to each other, and keep strengthening one another, as you do already.

—The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)

Rabbi Hillel, who was an old man when Jesus was a juvenile, summarized the Torah by quoting the Shema then saying,

The rest is commentary; go and learn it.

I apply the same statement to the remainder of the pericopes from Romans 13 and 1 Thessalonians 5. It is commentary; go and learn it.

Living properly in community before God requires much of us. It means that we must put up with inconveniences sometimes, for the sake of hospitality, which was frequently a matter or life or death in Biblical times. It also means that, among other things, we must lay aside misunderstandings and encourage one another. The altar in Joshua 22 was, in fact, not a threat to the central place of worship. Neither did it constitute evidence of any variety of treachery before God, contrary to the charge in verse 16. How many people might have died needlessly had the planned war against the transjordan tribes, based on a misunderstanding, occurred?

Often those who plot and commit errors seek to behave correctly, but they proceed from false assumptions and understandings. This statement remains correct in current times, unfortunately. More people (especially those who decide policies) need to check their information more often. The rest of us (not the policy makers) carry erroneous assumptions in our heads. As I heard a professor who is an expert in critical thinking say years ago, our most basic assumptions are the ones we do not think of as being assumptions. How can we live in peace with our neighbors if we do not understand their actions correctly?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 1, 2015 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAMUEL STENNETT, ENGLISH SEVENTH-DAY BAPTIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER; AND JOHN HOWARD, ENGLISH HUMANITARIAN

THE FEAST OF SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR, APOLOGIST

THE FEAST OF SAINTS PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA, BIBLE SCHOLAR AND TRANSLATOR; AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

O God, with all your faithful followers in every age, we praise you, the rock of our life.

Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son,

that we may gladly minister to all the world,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 45

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The Assigned Readings:

Ezekiel 28:11-19 (Thursday)

Ezekiel 31:15-18 (Friday)

Psalm 138 (Both Days)

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 (Thursday)

2 Corinthians 10:12-18 (Friday)

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The LORD is high, yet the LORD cares for the lowly

and perceives the haughty from afar.

–Psalm 138:6, Book of Common Worship (1993)

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The assigned readings for these two days focus on the question of how we should treat others as opposed to how we behave toward them much of the time. Exploitation comes in more than one form; economic, judicial, and sexual varieties of such bad behavior come to mind immediately. That which builds one up at the expense of others–by taking from them wrongly or denying them what they should have–is immoral. Yet many people already wealthy pile up more riches by taking from those who have less or by denying others that which they ought to have–sufficient means–by right. Yes, I am writing about greed, a predatory force.

The essence of compassion is to dethrone oneself from the center of one’s life or never to place oneself there. Selfishness (of which greed is a symptom) can result from a variety of issues, including two related to the ego. One is pride–hubris, to be precise. Taking pride in one’s work is positive, for it contributes to better work. Yet hubris goes before the fall. This is a phenomenon of the ego run amok. I have known this temptation and yielded to it in the realm of intellectual arrogance. The causes were understandable, given the circumstances, but that fact did not–and still does not–constitute an excuse or justification. I continue to struggle with intellectual arrogance at times, but at least I know about the problem and recognize it as such. I am imperfect, but I have made progress, by grace. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the inferiority complex. People with this problem who do not deal with it constructively lead self-centered lives dedicated to making themselves feel better about themselves. (I have one person, who will remain unnamed in this post, in mind.) In cases of both extremes the offenders injure themselves and others, for what one person does affects others. That is the way of the universe.

To have a balanced ego is the better course. And following the advice of St. Paul the Apostle to boast only of the Lord is a spiritually healthy path to take in life. The desire to do these things is a good start, one possible only by grace. This desire might constitute our proverbial few loaves of bread and fishes, and therefore seem woefully inadequate for the task. It is inadequate for the task, of course, but God can multiply it. This is not about what we do. No, it is about what God does. Our task is to cooperate with God–to be the faithful ministers of grace God calls us to be. May we, by grace, serve effectively, thereby glorifying God and helping others–building them up as God leads us to do.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 16, 2014 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARY MAGDALEN POSTEL, FOUNDER OF THE POOR DAUGHTERS OF MERCY

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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The Assigned Readings:

1 Kings 7:51-8:21 (August 25)

1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63 (August 26)

Psalm 67 (Morning–August 25)

Psalm 51 (Morning–August 26)

Psalms 46 and 93 (Evening–August 25)

Psalms 85 and 47 (Evening–August 26)

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 (August 25)

2 Corinthians 4:1-18 (August 26)

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It is not ourselves that we proclaim; we proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake.

–2 Corinthians 4:5, The Revised English Bible

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I have read 1 Kings many times. Each time I do so I notice details that I missed or did not focus on during each previous reading. This time, for example, I have thought deeply about the forced labor involved in the construction of the First Temple. And now, as I re-read the pious Deuteronomistic speech placed in Solomon’s mouth, I find that oratory irrelevant. The Temple was grand, but it was the result of forced labor.

Paul wrote of passing glory in 2 Corinthians 3:7f. That portion of the epistle led to a discussion of liberty in God. Paul and his companions did suffer, sometimes in prison. But they were free in God. Their labor was not forced; they gave it of their own accord. And they proclaimed Jesus, a Temple which no power could destroy. The Roman Empire tried, but he rose from the dead.

Some might criticize me for my Marxian Conflict Theory-based interpretation of these texts. So be it! I seek to write from an attitude of concern rooted in the concept of the Image of God and in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Whose physical labor would Jesus coerce?

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Many passages in the Bible speak of the imperative of obeying God. Among them is Hebrews 12:18-29, which includes the promise of destruction for disobedience and concludes with

For our God is a consuming fire.

–12:29, The New Jerusalem Bible

That is scary, is it not?

The Law of Moses is clear: Anyone who works on the Sabbath day has earned a death sentence:

And the Lord said to Moses: Speak to the Israelite people and say: Nevertheless you must keep My sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that I the LORD have consecrated you. You shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy for you. He who profanes it shall be put to death: whoever does work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his kin. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD: whoever does work on the sabbath day shall be put to death. The Israelite people shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant between Me and the people of Israel.

–Exodus 31:12-17a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures

(Fortunately this law does not apply to me, a Christian. As I understand theology, the cultural details of the Law of Moses are not universal principles for all time.)

Jesus, a Jew, lived under occupation in his homeland. One way the Jews of the time, a minority in the Roman Empire, retained and asserted their identity was to keep religious laws. But there were Jewish sects, some of which disagreed with each other strongly, and therefore there was a multiplicity of interpretations of religious laws. So, did Jesus violate the Sabbath laws when he healed on that day? He did not think so, and I side with him: Every day of the week is a good day to commit good deeds.

The readings for this Sunday speak of the imperative of repenting, literally turning around. The prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah (all the Isaiahs) decried a variety of sins, from committing idolatry to exploiting the poor economically. Observing holy rituals did not fool God into thinking that perpetrators of these perfidious acts were righteous, the prophets said correctly. The Temple system at the time of Jesus was corrupt, demanding offerings from those who could not spare the money. Jesus, of course, opposed that system.

Another there running through these readings is one which becomes clearer after one reads the lections in their literary contexts: Many of those who consider themselves religious insiders, people close to God, are fooling themselves. And many of the alleged outsiders are really insiders.

The God of these readings is the deity who cares for the widows and the orphans, executes judgment for the oppressed peoples, and whose kingdom is like a large, uncontrollable, and frequently unwanted pest of a plant that gives shelter to a variety of species, not all of whom like each other. This is the God who defines “insider” and “outsider” differently than many people do. This is the God whose Gospel comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. This is the God I recognize in Jesus, who ate with notorious sinners, causing scandal. This is the God each of us is called to follow.

A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989) offers a fitting conclusion to this post. In the Eucharistic rite, just after a reading from Scripture, the lector says

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

The congregation replies,

Thanks be to God.

With that in mind, I say

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church or just to one who reads this post.

Whether or not one who reads this post answers

Thanks be to God

sincerely reveals much about that person’s spiritual state.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 3, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARUTHAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF MAYPHERKAT AND MISSIONARY TO PERSIA